CRAWFORD HIGH SCHOOL
Academy of Law and Justice
ABOUT the ACADEMY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
The Crawford Academy of Law is a California Partnership Academy, founded in 2011, through a grant from the State of California. In order to receive this funding, at least 50 percent of the students enrolled in the Academy must be identified as “at risk” of dropping out of school. Our Academy serves students in 10th through 12th grade and is structured as a school within a school. Students take all of their Academy classes together in grade level cohorts with the same teachers for multiple years. With our CPA grant, we are able to maintain smaller than average class sizes thus allowing students to receive more individual and personalized attention. Having small classes and a consistent team of teachers also allows us to build a sense of family and community within the Academy.
Our Academy focuses on educating students about the law and careers in the legal field with the goal of graduating students from high school and preparing them to attend college and, potentially, pursue a legal career. Students regularly attend field trips to local law firms, businesses, courthouses and college campuses. They are visited frequently by a variety of guest speakers that include practicing attorneys, law professors and judges.
In addition, Academy students are paired with law students from the Thomas Jefferson School of law in 10th grade, are mentored by practicing attorneys in 11th grade and then intern at prominent local law firms in 12th grade. The Academy also offers numerous extracurricular opportunities to further engage our students including a peer mediation program, Teen Court and the San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition. All of these efforts are directed at involving students in their local communities, fostering critical thinking and developing interpersonal communication skills with the ultimate goal of preparing students for future academic success. California Partnership Academies have a proven track record of improving both overall achievement and graduation rates due in large part to the individual attention students receive and the highly engaging activities which keep them focused in interested in school.
Academy Faculty Biographies
To read more about the Academy of Law teachers and faculty, please click HERE.
Our School / Our Students
Crawford High School is one of thirty senior high schools in the San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in California. Crawford is located in the neighborhood of El Cerrito and additionally serves the neighborhoods of College West, Rolando, Redwood Village and Oak Park.
In 2011, Crawford High School made the transition from four small schools to one comprehensive high school. There are 1,162 students currently enrolled for the 2013-2014 school year.
Crawford High School has the distinction of being one of the most ethnically diverse schools in the State. In 2012-13, the Crawford student body consisted of approximately 44% Hispanic/Latino, 28% Asian, and 23% Black/African-American. In total, 97% of Crawford High School students are members of an ethnic minority. In addition, 36.3% of Crawford students are designated English Language Learners and an additional 39% are Fluent English Proficient (meaning that although English is not the student’s primary language, the student has met certain state requirements and is now considered proficient in English). In total, then, approximately 75% of students at Crawford do not speak English as their primary language. There are over 36 different languages and 70 different dialects spoken on our campus. Finally, approximately 98% of Crawford students meet the qualifications established by the federal government to receive a free and/or reduced lunch.